5 facts about the first full moon in 2015

The first full moon of 2015 is on January 4! Here are some facts about it that you may not know!

#1. WOLF MOON – Appropriately for werewolves, the first full moon is called the Wolf Moon. Actually, the first full moon of every January is called the Wolf Moon (named for the wolves often heard in the dead of night in January!) Somtimes this moon is also called the “Old Moon” or the “Moon After Yule”.

#2. OUT ALL NIGHT – This is the only full moon of the year that will rise at sunset and set at sunrise. The only one!! Every other month of the year, the full moon will be out while the sun is out at least for part of the time.

#3. FULLEST AT MIDNIGHT – Full moons aren’t always at their fullest in the dead of night – sometimes it’s in the morning, sometimes in the afternoon, and sometimes when it just gets dark. On January 4, 2015, however if you live in the Eastern Time Zone, the full moon will be along pretty close to midnight – 11:53pm Eastern Standard Time. (Sorry other time zones!)

#4. SHOOTING STARS – The night leading up to the full moon (tonight January 3!) will be marked by a sky full of shooting stars! On the night of January 3, 2015, the Quadrantid meteor shower will be at it’s peak, and skywatchers will be presented with a brilliant display of around 40 shooting stars per hour!

#5. GRAND CROSS FULL MOON – The full moon on January 4 holds significance in astrology for mystics who claim it is a “Grand Cross Full Moon” meaning there are planets in all the cardinal signs – aries, capricorn, cancer, and libra. The result is this moon will have a very powerful pull where the balance of each sign will be pulling you in different directions – aries (desire to start something new), capricorn (responsibilities and emotions), cancer (people we care about), and libra (teamwork and compromise).